Don’t miss a recipe!

Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake

Welcome to pumpkin season 2016. I’ve got quite the showstopper of a pumpkin cake for all you pumpkin fiends.

It’s a ridiculously easy cake that starts with a boxed mix of spice cake, a can of pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice. If you need an easy pumpkin dessert, look no farther than this cake. I wish I had put it in my pumpkin cookbook. Everyone who tried it loved it.

Poke cakes get their name because after baking, you poke holes over the surface of the cake and flood it with a sweet mixture. Here it’s a mixture of sweetened condensed milk and caramel sundae topping.

Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake

Yield:one 9x13-inch cake

Total Time:3+ hours, for cooling

Prep Time:10 minutes

Cook Time:about 27 to 30 minutes

This is a showstopper of a pumpkin cake. It’s a ridiculously easy cake that starts with a boxed mix of spice cake, a can of pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice. A mixture of sweetened condensed milk and caramel sundae topping is poured over holes you poke in the cake after baking. Between the pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, and caramel sundae sauce, it’s one of the moistest cakes ever. The cake is finished with whipped topping, toffee bit, mini chocolate chips, and salted caramel sauce. The salted caramel adds a salty-sweet element, the toffee bits and chocolate chips add texture and contrast to the fluffy whipped topping and uber soft cake.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.

To a large bowl, add the cake mix, pumpkin puree, egg, oil, pumpkin pie spice, and beat with a handheld electric mixer on high until smooth and combined, about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Bake for about 27 to 30 minutes, or until cake is set in the center, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter.

While the cake bakes combine the sweetened condensed milk, caramel sundae topping, and whisk to combine; set aside.

Remove cake from the oven when it’s done and use the blunt end of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake. I didn’t count but I estimate I poked the cake in about 60 places, evenly spaced over the surface.

Slowly pour the sweetened condensed milk and caramel mixture over the cake, taking your time to evenly distribute it. Place cake in the fridge for about 15 minutes to cool slightly before adding the whipped topping so it doesn’t melt.

Remove cake from the fridge, evenly spread the whipped topping over the surface, evenly sprinkle with toffee bits, chocolate chips, and evenly drizzle with salted caramel sauce. Cover cake and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is best) before slicing and serving. Cake will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.

30 comments on “Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake”

You have done it again! Managed another jaw dropping pumpkin recipe. I need to pick up the spice cake mix and I will make this tomorrow. Btw, I commented on your PB&J crumble bars…seriously Averie, those were so divine. :) thx for this

I made this last night and am eating it for breakfast this morning. ;) Vegetable, right? It is SO GOOD! Thank you for sharing this recipe, Averie! I followed yours exactly except that I used regular-sized chocolate chips because that’s what we had. Phenomenal!

Rave reviews from my guests last night. All I could hear is YUM coming from 6 people as they devoured this scrumptious dessert. Of course, I was asked for the recipe. Thank you so much! This will be on our Thanksgiving menu for sure!

Yes you could BUT I would honestly just bake the cake and make it from start to finish on one day, and then refrigerate until the next day. I do this all the time with cakes for photo shoots. Bake/make at night, photos the next day midday. Works just fine with poke cakes, they still taste great!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Did you make this recipe? Rate it:

Name *

Email *

Website

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

Hi, I'm Averie and I'm so glad you've found my site! You'll find fast and easy recipes from dinners to desserts that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!